Jane Briggs-Bunting, a journalist, educator and First Amendment champion who co-founded the Michigan Coalition for Open Government, died Tuesday, March 23 at age 70.
“Jane didn’t shy away from fights that needed to be fought,” former student Meg O’Brien told the Detroit Free Press. “She emphasized that journalism wasn’t a popularity contest and trained us how to challenge institutions and take on powerful people when they weren’t doing the right things. … The profession needs passionate, fearless watchdogs like Jane now more than ever.”